Railway-switch frog.



J. JOHNSON.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG,

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 24, 1916.

1,1 913%. Patented July 18, 1916.

JOHN JOHNSON, 0F DUPONT, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH FROG.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J fl 18 1916 Application filed January 24, 1916. Serial No. 73,931.

To all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dupont, in the county of Jefferson and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Frogs, of which the following is a specifica tion, reference being had to the accompany ing drawings.

This invention relates to an improved railway switch frog and has for its primary object to provide a device of this character consisting of a single integral casting which may be readily arranged in place in the track and connected to the track and switch rails.

The invention has for another important object to provide a switch frog which is of such construction that the spikes for fastening the frog to the rail ties have their heads disposed contiguous to the body of the frog at its base so that the frog is more securely and rigidly held in place.

It is a further general object of the 'in vention to provide a cast metal railway switch frog which may be inexpensively produced, is of great stability, and requires but little care or attention after it is arranged in place.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more. fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing my improved railway frog arranged in position and connected to the track and the switch rails; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the frog.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the main rails and 6 the switch rails. The improved frog forming the subject-matter of the present application, is

constructed from a single integral casting generally designated by the numeral 7.

The body of this casting includes two longitudinally tapering portions 8 which are in tegral with each other at the approximate longitudinal center of the frog body, which is the point of minimum cross-sectional area. From this point to the opposite ends of the frog, the same gradually increases in area. One of the portions 8 is provided with a continuous head indicated at 9, produced by forming the relatively narrow longitudinal flanges 10 on opposite sides of the tapering body section. At the center of the frog, the head 9 tapers to a point, as indicated at ll. At the end of the head 9, the frog body s formed with a vertical channel or groove indicated at 12, to accommodate the fish plates or angle bars 13 which connect one of the main track rails 5 and one of the switch rails 6 in proper alinement with the flanges 10 on the head of the frog. The other body portion 8 of the frog is formed on its upper surface With the two converging heads 14:, the top surface of the frog between these heads being in a lower horizontal plane. These heads also provide flanges 15 on the opposite sides of the frog body. The inner edges of these heads 14:, at their inner ends, are extended in spaced parallel relation to the point of the head 11, thereby providing the channels or grooves 16 for the wheel flanges; It will-be understood, of course, that the other sections of the main track rail 5 and switch rail 6 are connected to this latter end of the frog which is vertically cut away or channeled, as at 17, between the spaced heads 14:, in the same manner as her tofore described.

The body of the frog is provided upon opposite sides and at its base with the narrow longitudinally extending flanges 18. By making these flanges quite narrow, the heads of the fastening spikes which secure the frog to the ties will be disposed as close as possible to the body of the frog, thus affording greater security.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of use and several advantages of the invention will be fully and clearly understood.

My improved railway frog, though eX- ceedingly simple in its construction, is,

nevertheless, highly advantageous in prac Cir While I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several features of the device, it will be understood that the same is susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate modifications therein as may be a said end portion, said head at its inner end terminating in a point projecting beyond the longitudinal center of the frog, and spaced inwardly converging heads formed on the upper surface of the other end portion of the frog body at its opposite edges and projecting beyond the side faces thereof to form flanges, the inner opposed edges of said latter heads at their inner ends being obliquely inclined and extended beyond the terminal of said first named head and in parallel relation to the opposite sides thereof and terminating at the approximate center of the frog.

2. The herein described switch frog con sisting of a single solid metal casting gradually decreasing in cross-sectional area from its opposite ends to its center and provided upon the upper surface of one of said end portions with a head of greater width than the thickness of the body of the frog and projecting beyond the side faces thereof to provide longitudinal flanges, said head tapering to a point at the center of the frog, and spaced inwardly converging heads formed upon the upper surface of the frog at its other end and having their inner edges extended in spaced parallel relation to the point of the first named head, said latter converging heads also projecting beyond the opposite side faces of the frog to provide longitudinal flanges thereon and a narrow longitudinally extending flange formed upon each side of the frog body at its base. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN JOHNSON. Witnesses:

FRED TURNER, IRA MoNU'rr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

